Assessment

Your higher research degree will be assessed by the production of a thesis, which will be submitted to a panel of judges.

You will be encouraged to continue writing up throughout your research so that you can finish on time and avoid the mammoth task of having to write up everything you have done over the years of your candidature in one go. There are many places that offer advice and skills training for thesis writing, so if you feel daunted by the prospect, you could contact SUPRA, the Learning Centre or the library for tips, hints and workshops.

Your supervisor and postgraduate co-ordinator will also be interested in your progress throughout your candidature. Although there is no formal exam, essay or test you need to do in this time, you will need to show your supervisor and co-ordinator that you are working satisfactorily and attending seminars or conferences when necessary. Completing annual progress report forms and attending annual interviews allow this to be discussed along with any concerns that you may have about your degree.

Below you will find specific information about Plagiarism and Special Considerations.

Plagiarism

Plagiarising is intentionally attempting to present someone else’s work as if it was your own. It is expected that you will need to use ideas and arguments from other writers. As long as you acknowledge the source of all material in your assessment and, with the exception of direct quotes, use your own words, you are not plagiarising.

Plagiarism has serious consequences. If it is discovered that you have plagiarised another person’s work in an assessment, you will fail the assessment, or even the unit of study. The decision is subject to review by the Dean.

If you are having trouble with referencing, English language expression, or if you generally find it difficult to complete your work in a timely and academically honest manner you should see your teacher or supervisor as early as possible. We are here to assist and support you.

If you have just started your higher research degree, you will be expected to complete the online 'Academic Honesty' course which is run on WebCT. It is a short course split into 7 modules, which need to be completed sequentially. Each module has a short amount of text to read and a self test to make you think about what it entails. It also provides links to other pages and documents containing further information.

The whole course is expected to take just 1-2 hours and can be completed either all in one go or in smaller chunks of 10-15 minutes depending on how you would prefer to do it. It is compulsory and you will be asked about it at your 6 month probationary progress interview.

You can find out information about WebCT and how to get started with e-learning on this website: http://www.usyd.edu.au/webct/student/

Or if you feel confident or already have experience with WebCT, you can go straight to in by logging in on the unikey access link at the following page: http://learn-on-line.ce.usyd.edu.au/webct/entryPageIns.dowebct

You can also refer to the University Plagiarism Policy at http://www.usyd.edu.au/senate/policies/Plagiarism.pdf.

Special Consideration

If you are experiencing difficulties meeting the demands of the course because of illness, personal/family matters or misadventure, then it is imperative that you take the time to contact the Faculty Office and/or your supervisor, and inform them of the problem. In any case, we will endeavour to instigate the most appropriate course of action for you.

A Special Consideration form must be completed and submitted to the Faculty Office as early as possible. The form must be accompanied by written documentation as evidence supporting your request, such as medical certificate, description of problem, accident report, etc.

Contact the Faculty Office or Student Centre for further advice regarding special consideration.